Do you hear sermons, listen to Old Testament readings, and read your Bible only hoping that someday you’ll understand the Old Testament better?

You are not alone.  Many people have been hoping to understand the Old Testament, so they can better understand the New Testament.

The Old Testament holds a sense of mystery in the Christian church.  While you may have made attempts to read parts of the Old Testament, you may also have gotten stuck in trying to figure it out.  You may get to the point where you wonder if it is possible to understand what the Old Testament and its individual books are all about.

Mary’s Story:

Mary has been going to church on Sunday’s all her life.  She has listened to many New Testament sermons and usually hears two Old Testament readings each Sunday. She has tried to read the Old Testament starting with Genesis but stopped at Leviticus because it did not make much sense.

Mary says she needs a class to help her learn the Bible.  She knows the Scriptures are the Word of God and would love to learn more about them.

Is Mary’s story familiar to you?  Would you like to understand the Old Testament Scriptures?

For years I had the same problem as Mary until I finally found what worked for me.

What worked?  Two things, actually:

1.  Knowledge.  I finally had to stop playing with piecemeal and pick some classes at a Seminary and stay committed to learning.

2.  Support.  My do-it-yourself attitude was great for some things, but I needed help from teachers to understand the entire Old Testament.

Are you tired of going it alone?  If you are spiritually-minded and want to understand the Old Testament, then we’ve on the same page.

Walk Thur the Old Testament: Genesis-Apocrypha

10 Weeks of Practical Teachings and Support to Understand the Entire Old Testament

This series was specifically designed with you in mind.

The structure, the guidance, the information, and the learning are all aimed at one thing: showing you how to understand the Old Testament in order to give you a foundation for understanding the New Testament.

Are these the results you want?

• Get an overview of the entire Old Testament so you know its main themes, messages, and people.

• Have a good grasp of the geography of the Holy Lands as you place various important towns and cities in the Old Testament.

• Enliven your reading of the Old Testament and make the New Testament more understandable.

• Increase your faith through knowledge of the Old Testament.

• Be inspired by the stories and people of the Old Testament.

• Deepen your prayer life.

A way to understand the Old Testament

Like me, you probably have friends (or maybe even yourself), who have finished a bible study or read a book about the Old Testament without really understanding much about its mission, geography, and people.  You may have learned some things but never felt you really understood the Old Testament.

I’ve found the best way to understand the Old Testament is to take an Introduction to the Old Testament class with a knowledgeable instructor and the support of fellow classmates.

I’ve designed this series to help you walk through the Old Testament in 10 weeks.  After only 10 weeks, you will have a broad overview of the entire Old Testament and enough background to dig into specific Old Testament books.What we’ll cover so you can understand the Old Testament.

What we’ll cover so you can understand the Old Testament

• Class 1.  This first class will focus on topics such as: What is the Bible?  What are the many kinds of literature in the Old Testament?  Which Bible should I read?  And so much more.  We will learn how the Old Testament came to be and learn about the 3 divisions of the Hebrew Bible.

• Class 2. Archaeology and the Old Testament.  Can you imagine?  In the early 19th century our libraries had little information about Babylon, Assyria, and no one knew Sumerian.  The second class will help you identify the Ancient Near East, the lands of the Old Testament, on a map and learn about its different ethnic groups.  We will also learn some literary tools for Old Testament study and more.

• Class 3.  In this class we will start at the beginning of Israel’s history with the Book of Genesis and some introductory comments on the total picture of the Old Testament, then move on to the Torah in general.  After the break, we will talk about the Patriarchs in Genesis 12-50 and learn about the 4 important men in the troubled family history of Israel.

• Class 4. This class covers the books of Exodus through Judges.  The Exodus proceeds in 12 stages; en route Moses and God’s people journey from slavery to covenant.  We will look at the 7 speeches in Exodus and learn how the Book of Leviticus remains a universal message of holiness for God’s people for all time; the Letter to the Hebrews in the New Testament would not make sense without it.  The themes in Numbers and Deuteronomy will presented; the New Testament writers assumed their readers would understand their allusions to Deuteronomy.  Finally God’s response to the child abuse, spouse abuse, and excessive violence in the Book of Judges speaks to our present day society.

• Class 5. This class focuses on 1 & 2 Samuel, 1 & 2 Kings, and Ruth.  Learn about God’s care, correction, justice, and mercy.  Learn how personalities, especially Samuel, Saul, and David, are important in these books.  Know the importance of the Rise of the Monarchy in Israel.  We will look at the pattern of Israel’s history and recognize the 5 themes of these historical books.  Learn the significance of women, such as Jezebel, Bathsheba and Queen of Sheba, in the Book of Kings.

• Class 6.  This class will cover the first part of the Prophets.  To understand the prophets one must look at the Jewish Bible first then at the Christian history of how these books came to be placed in the Bible.  What is a prophet?  How do you recognize a true prophet?  We will look at the prophets Amos, Hosea, Micah and Isaiah.

• Class 7.  Class 7 is a continuation of the prophets.  The remaining prophets, Second Isaiah, Third Isaiah, Zephaniah, Nahum, Habakkuk, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, Obadiah, Haggai, Zechariah, Malachi, Joel, Jonah, Lamentations, and Daniel, will be placed in their historical contexts.  Learn that the purpose of God’s destructive actions against the people of Judah was to ensure their repentance not to destroy them.  The Book of Daniel shows God’s ultimate victory over evil forces.  Such a message can apply to every age.  And there is so much more.

• Class 8. This class covers the Books of Ezra and Nehemiah, and 1 & 2 Chronicles.  We will look at the setting for Ezra and Nehemiah, citizens of the Persian Empire, and we will cover the return of the Jews to Judah and the need for restoration.  The 1 & 2 Books of  Chronicles and the Books of Ezra and Nehemiah trace the last part of Israel’s story from the rise of King David through the post-exilic reconstruction efforts ending shortly after 400 BCE.  We will look at how important the Books of Ezra and Nehemiah are for contemporary readers.

• Class 9.  In this class we will look at the Book of Esther as Historical Literature.  Then we will go into Wisdom Literature for the rest of this class on the Books of Job, Ecclesiastes, Proverbs, Song of Songs, and Psalms.  What is Wisdom Literature?  We will cover professional wisdom, the personification of Wisdom, and the figures of Lady Wisdom and Dame Folly.  Learn from the Book of Job the themes of innocent suffering, faith, and the mystery of God.  In the Book of Ecclesiastes, we can reflect with this sage on the perennial question: Is life lived in vain?  We will look at different interpretations of the Song of Songs and learn the 3 purposes of Proverbs, and the 9 qualities of the wise in Proverbs.  The Book of Psalms may be the most popular book in the Old Testament.  Learn the 8 types of Psalms and more.

• Class 10.  This class cover the Inter-Testamental History and Literature.  Learn about the brief history of Israel from the 4th century BCE to the time of Jesus Christ, including the tension within Judaism.  The Book of Jonah recounts how Jonah learned there is a wideness in God’s mercy beyond human expectation.  Learn how the rise of Alexander the Great changed the Jewish people and what the Maccabean Revolt was about.  We will look at Apocalyptic Literature and the author of Daniel and his 4 visions.  We will learn the 3 reasons for studying the Apocrypha and the 5 categories of non-canonical Jewish literature.

What’s so different about this class?

In addition to my presentations, you will receive maps and notes during the class to follow along with my presentation. You’ll have handouts, reading assignments, and time for questions and answers.  You’ll also be assigned a partner with whom to go over the class material during the week and answer a few questions for the following week (if you find this helpful).

I have spent years accumulating information on the Bible from the best people in the field.  In this course I select the best nuggets from my studies and weave them together to help you understand the entire Old Testament.  I am a long-life learner;  I have been studying since 1978 and earned a Master’s in Theology (1983) an in Sacred Scripture (2007) from Mt. Angel Seminary.  I am currently taking classes for the past three years from the University of Jerusalem studying Hebrew and New Testament Period.

This course is unique; I have specifically designed it to present the most up-to-date information to help you understand the entire Old Testament.

Okay, so here is what you get with:

Spring 2015:  Walk Thru The Old Testament: Genesis-Apocrypha

Starts April 18 – June 20, 2015

Saturday Mornings: 10 classes plus a bonus class

Saturday’s  9:30-11:30 am             April 18, 25  May 2, 9, 16, 23, 30,   June 6, 13, 20

  (June 27-  Bonus class)

• 20 hours of facilitated presentations.  Valued at $820
• Notes during each class.   Valued at $30
• Partnered exercises between classes.  Accountability and support are proven tools for learning.
• Bonus two-hour 11th session.  “How to Pray the Scriptures as Lectio Divina”.  Presentation, handouts, and group exercises.  Valued at $50
• Location:  Mt. Angel  (limited – 15 )

Total Value at $900.00   Your Price $350.00   Deadline Wednesday April 15, 2015

Best yet-an 80% Total Guarantee

It’s very important to me that this class helps you get where you want to go.  You can decide for any reason, up to  30 days after the end of the class, that the class didn’t work for you and you want a refund.  But, there are some conditions.

The 80%? The class works, but only if you attend and follow through.  If you complete 80% of the classes, i.e., attend 8 out of 10 classes, complete 8 of out 10 partnered exercises, and you are still unhappy with the results, then I’ll be happy to refund 80% of what you paid for the course.

Are you ready to sign up?  Or do you have any questions that you need to ask first?  Click here to contact Paula and send an e-mail with your question(s).

If you are ready to sign up and pay, please follow this simple 2-step process.

1.  Send me an e-mail with your name, e-mail, phone number   Click here

2. Make a payment through my website. Click here Don’t worry if you see Counseling by Paula as that is my other business.  You are in the right place.  You can pay with Visa/debit card.  Or you can send a check to: Paula Helsby, P.O. Box 1001, Silverton, Oregon 97381.

If you have any other questions, please do not hesitate to e-mail me at paula@oldtestamentclasses.com  click here or call me at 503-873-3608.